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Telephone-Communication Buy-Sell Arrangements Sufficient for Long-Arm Jurisdiction/Forum Selection Clause In Invoices Not Enforceable Pursuant to UCC 207

The First Department determined that telephone communications re: the sale of diamonds between a seller in New York and a buyer in California were a sufficient basis for New York's long-arm jurisdiction over the California defendant.  The court further found that the forum selection clause and consent to jurisdiction in the relevant invoices were additional terms which, pursuant to UCC 207, were never expressly agreed to and therefore not enforceable:

UCC § 2-207 contemplates situations like the one here, where parties do business through an exchange of forms such as purchase orders and invoices. As the parties did here, merchants frequently include terms in their forms that were not discussed with the other side. UCC § 2-207[2] addresses that scenario, providing, “[t]he additional terms are to be construed as proposals for addition to the contract. Between merchants such terms become part of the contract unless: … [b] they materially alter it.”

Here, during telephone discussions, the parties negotiated the essential terms required for contract formation, and the invoices were merely confirmatory … . Thus, the forum selection clause is an additional term that materially altered the parties' oral contracts, and defendant did not give its consent to that additional term … . …

… [T]he motion court erred in finding that the parties' telephone dealings over several years and in the two transactions at issue were insufficient as a matter of law to confer personal jurisdiction over defendant pursuant to CPLR 302(a)(1). CPLR 302(a)(1) authorizes the assertion of long-arm jurisdiction over a non-domiciliary who “transacts any business within the state or contracts anywhere to supply goods or services in the state.” CPLR 302(a)(1) is a “single act statute”; accordingly, physical presence is not required and one New York transaction is sufficient for personal jurisdiction. The statute applies where the defendant's New York activities were purposeful and substantially related to the claim … . ” Purposeful'” activities are defined as ” those with which a defendant, through volitional acts, avails itself of the privilege of conducting activities within the forum State, thus invoking the benefits and protections of its laws'” … .

We recognize that courts of this state have generally held telephone communications to be insufficient for finding purposeful activity conferring personal jurisdiction … . However, there are exceptions to this general rule, and in some cases, telephone communications will, in fact, be sufficient to confer jurisdiction … . C Mahendra NY LLC v National Gold & Diamond Ctr Inc, 2015 NY Slip Op 01157, 1st Dept 2-10-15

 

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Criteria for Determining the Clarity or Ambiguity of the Terms of a Contract Explained

In affirming the verdict after a bench trial (finding the relevant terms of a contract unambiguous), the Second Department explained its review powers and outlined the analytical criteria re: the determination of the clarity or ambiguity of the terms of a contract:

“In reviewing a determination rendered after a nonjury trial, the power of this Court is as broad as that of the trial court, and this Court may render the judgment it finds warranted by the facts, taking into account that in a close case the trial court had the advantage of seeing the witnesses and hearing the testimony” … . “The construction and interpretation of an unambiguous written contract is an issue of law within the province of the court, as is the inquiry of whether the writing is ambiguous in the first instance. If the language is free from ambiguity, its meaning may be determined as a matter of law on the basis of the writing alone without resort to extrinsic evidence” … . “When interpreting a contract, the construction arrived at should give fair meaning to all of the language employed by the parties, to reach a practical interpretation of the parties' expressions so that their reasonable expectations will be realized” … . “The terms of a contract are clear and unambiguous when the language used has a definite and precise meaning, unattended by danger of misconception in the purport of the agreement itself, and concerning which there is no reasonable basis for a difference of opinion” … . Palumbo Group v Poughkeepsie City Sch Dist, 2015 NY Slip Op 00857, 2nd Dept 2-4-15


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Where Extrinsic Evidence Indicates a Party’s Interpretation of Ambiguous Language Is the Only Fair Interpretation, Summary Judgment Is Appropriate

In finding that the meaning of a title insurance policy was properly determined as a matter of law, the Second Department explained the complicated analytical criteria:

Generally, courts determine the rights and obligations of parties under insurance contracts based on the specific language of the policies … . However, where the language is reasonably susceptible of more than one interpretation, and thus ambiguous, “the parties to the policy may, as an aid in construction, submit extrinsic evidence of their intent at the time of contracting” … . “[I]f the tendered extrinsic evidence is itself conclusory and will not resolve the equivocality of the language of the contract, the issue remains a question of law for the court” … . “Under those circumstances, the ambiguity must be resolved against the insurer which drafted the contract” … .

“It is only where such evidence does not resolve the equivocality that the ambiguity must be resolved against the insurer” … . Where there is ambiguity and the “determination of the intent of the parties depends on the credibility of extrinsic evidence or on a choice among reasonable inferences to be drawn from extrinsic evidence, then such determination is to be made by the jury” … . Where, however, a party’s extrinsic evidence demonstrates “not only that its interpretation is reasonable but that it is the only fair interpretation,” summary judgment is appropriate … . Demetrio v Stewart Tit Ins Co, 2015 NY Slip Op 00720, 2nd Dept 1-28-15

 

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Basic Criteria Re: Common-Law and Contractual Indemnification Explained

In finding that the criteria for common-law and contractual indemnification were not met, the Second Department explained some of the basic requirements for both:

“[T]he key element of a common-law cause of action for indemnification is not a duty running from the indemnitor to the injured party, but rather is a separate duty owed the indemnitee by the indemnitor'” … . ” Since the predicate of common-law indemnity is vicarious liability without actual fault on the part of the proposed indemnitee, it follows that a party who has itself actually participated to some degree in the wrongdoing cannot receive the benefit of the doctrine'” … .

… General Obligations Law § 5-322.1 …  “generally renders void a clause in a construction contract purporting to indemnify a party for its own negligence” (… see General Obligations Law § 5-322.1). … [A] contractual clause that purports to indemnify a party for its own negligence ” may be enforced where the party to be indemnified is found to be free of any negligence'” … . Dreyfuss v MPCC Corp, 2015 NY Slip Op 00723, 2nd Dept 1-28-15

 

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“Warranty” Need Not Be Set Forth In Any Special Manner—Here the Language on the Declaration Page that “Warranted” a Fire Alarm Will Be “Fully Operational” Was a Valid Condition Precedent to the Insured’s Liability—Summary Judgment In Favor of Insurer Properly Granted

The Second Department determined the language on the declaration page of a fire insurance policy constituted a “warranty” that the fire alarm will be “fully operational,” meaning that the alarm must be activated at the time of the fire or coverage can be disclaimed The alarm was not activated at the time of the fire and defendant’s motion for summary judgment was therefore properly granted:

Insurance Law § 3106(a) provides:

“In this section warranty means any provision of an insurance contract which has the effect of requiring, as a condition precedent of the taking effect of such contract or as a condition precedent of the insurer’s liability thereunder, the existence of a fact which tends to diminish, or the non-existence of a fact which tends to increase, the risk of the occurrence of any loss, damage, or injury within the coverage of the contract” (Insurance Law § 3106[a] [emphasis added]).

“As a general matter, warranties represent a promise by the insured to do or not to do some thing that the insurer considers significant to its risk of liability under an insurance contract” … . Here, the provision in the “special conditions” section of the declaration page which states “[w]arranted . . . burglar alarm[] will be [f]ully operational throughout the period of the policy” meets the definition of a warranty pursuant to the Insurance Law, since requiring the plaintiff to have a fully operational burglar alarm would be significant to the defendant’s risk of liability under the insurance policy. Contrary to the plaintiff’s contention, there is no requirement that the warranty be set forth in any particular manner, as long as its effect is to create a condition precedent to the insurer’s liability. Indeed, the use of the term “warranted” at the beginning of the subject provision establishes that the provision was a warranty as defined by the Insurance Law … . Triple Diamond Cafe Inc v Those Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London, 2015 NY Slip Op 00527, 2nd Dept 1-21-15

 

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Only Out-of-Pocket Damages Allowed in Fraud Action (Re: a Real Estate Purchase Agreement)

The Third Department affirmed a judgment in favor of the plaintiffs stemming in large part from the fraudulent representation (re: a property information sheet) that a septic system, which failed, was “new.” The court noted the out-of-pocket rule for damages based upon fraud (lost profits/rents, etc. not recoverable):

[D]efendants’ realtor prepared a property information sheet — to be given to prospective buyers — bearing the notation, “Septic system totally new — le[a]ch field totally replaced — new 5000 gallon holding tank,” as well as the general qualification that “all information [was] deemed reliable but not guaranteed.” …[P]laintiffs … entered into a purchase and sale contract for the property. The contract, which reflected a purchase price of $545,000 and indicated that the buildings on the premises would be sold “as is,” also contained a waivable septic system contingency. Plaintiffs ultimately did not avail themselves of this contingency–a decision purportedly based, in part, upon plaintiffs’ belief that the property contained a new septic system. * * *

…[T]he case law makes clear that where, as here, a cause of action for fraud has been asserted, “[t]he true measure of damage is indemnity for the actual pecuniary loss sustained as the direct result of the wrong or what is known as the ‘out-of-pocket’ rule. . . . Damages are to be calculated to compensate plaintiffs for what they lost because of the fraud, not to compensate them for what they might have gained. Under the out-of-pocket rule, there can be no recovery of profits which would have been realized in the absence of fraud” … . Revell v Guido, 2015 NY Slip Op 00411, 3rd Dept 1-15-15

 

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Where Plaintiff Was “Demoted” In Violation of an Employment Agreement, the Restrictive Covenants in the Agreement Are No Longer Enforceable

The First Department determined the restrictive covenants agreed to by the plaintiff in conjunction with the job he was hired to do did not apply to the job, with diminished responsibility, he was subsequently assigned (in violation of the employment contract):

The significant change in plaintiff’s duties constituted a material breach of his employment agreement … . * * *

The record demonstrates that defendants did not have a legitimate interest in restricting plaintiff from working for a competitor once he was in his demoted position … . Although the employment agreement acknowledged the uniqueness of plaintiff’s services, that acknowledgment was made in connection with plaintiff’s acceptance of a position he no longer held at the time of his resignation. Further, the record is devoid of evidence that plaintiff possessed any trade secrets or confidential customer lists … . Thus, insofar as the restrictive covenants contained in the employment and option agreements prohibited plaintiff from competing …, they are unenforceable. Fewer v GFI Group Inc, 2015 NY Slip Op 00440, 1st Dept, 1-15-15

 

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Criteria for Contractual Indemnification Explained

The Second Department determined plaintiff’s Labor Law 241(6) cause of action properly survived summary judgment and defendant was entitled to indemnification under the relevant contract.  The court explained the contractual indemnification criteria:

“While owners and general contractors owe nondelegable duties under the Labor Law to plaintiffs who are employed at their worksites, these defendants can recover in indemnity, either contractual or common-law, from those considered responsible for the accident” … . A party’s right to contractual indemnification depends upon the specific language of the relevant contract … . A promise to indemnify should not be found unless it can be clearly implied from the language and purpose of the entire agreement and the surrounding circumstances … . In addition, “a party seeking contractual indemnification must prove itself free from negligence, because to the extent its negligence contributed to the accident, it cannot be indemnified therefor” (…see General Obligations Law § 5-322.1). Shea v Bloomberg LP, 2015 NY Slip OP 00353, 2015 NY Slip Op 00353, 2nd Dept 1-14-15

 

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Conditions Spelled Out in an Irrevocable Stand-By Letter of Credit Had Been Complied With by the Defendant—Plaintiff’s Fraud Cause of Action Dismissed

The Second Department determined the defendant had properly sought (and been paid by the bank) funds pursuant to an irrevocable standby letter of credit (LOC) which was executed by the plaintiff in favor of defendant because the conditions spelled out in the LOC had been complied with. The court explained the relevant analytical criteria:

“Letters of credit are commercial instruments that provide a seller or lender (the beneficiary) with a guaranteed means of payment from a creditworthy third party (the issuer) in lieu of relying solely on the financial status of a buyer or borrower (the applicant). Historically, letters of credit have been used to assure predictability and stability in mercantile transactions by diminishing a seller’s risk of nonpayment and a buyer’s risk of nondelivery due to insufficient funds” … . “By issuing a letter of credit, the [bank] undertakes an obligation to pay the beneficiary, or his [or her] transferee if the letter is negotiable, from the account of its customer” … . Generally, stand-by letters of credit are “meant to be drawn upon only in the event that its applicant fails to make a direct payment to the beneficiary . . . For this reason, to collect upon a stand-by [letter of credit], the beneficiary . . . must present to the issuing bank a default letter stating that the debt had not been satisfied as of a specified date” … . However, “letters of credit must be strictly construed and performed in compliance with their stated terms” … . The rationale for this rule is rooted in the purpose of letters of credit: ” [b]y conditioning payment solely upon the terms set forth in the letter of credit, the justifications for an issuing bank’s refusal to honor the credit are severely restricted, thereby assuring the reliability of letters of credit as a payment mechanism'” … . Accordingly, “to make an issuing bank’s payment obligation conditional, the parties must clearly and explicitly set forth that requirement on the face of the letter of credit” … .

The … defendants demonstrated their prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law dismissing the cause of action to recover damages for fraud, since in [defendant’s] letter to [the bank], it accurately and truthfully represented to [the bank] that [defendant] was the beneficiary of the LOC, and satisfied the two conditions set forth in the LOC pursuant to which payment would be made to it, to wit, by (1) referencing the LOC number, and (2) attaching the LOC. Weiss v Benetton USA Corp, 2015 NY Slip Op 00360, 2nd Dept 1-14-15

 

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Questions of Fact Raised About Whether Sellers’ Representations on the Condition Disclosure Statement Claiming No Water-Related Problems on the Property Violated Real Property Law 462, 465, Constituted Fraud, and Constituted Breach of Contract

The Fourth Department determined the sellers’ representations on the condition disclosure statement created questions of fact about whether sellers violated Real Property Law 462 and 465, whether the sellers committed fraud, and whether the sellers breached the sales contract.  The sellers indicated on the condition disclosure statement that they had experienced no problems with standing water and water seeping into the basement.  There was evidence the sellers were aware of the existence of such water problems when they indicated on the form there had been none:

Real Property Law § 462 (1) requires sellers of residential real property to “complete and sign a property condition disclosure statement” and to provide such statement to a prospective buyer “prior to the signing by the buyer of a binding contract of sale.” Real Property Law § 462 sets forth the disclosure form, which instructs the seller to complete the form based upon his or her “ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE,” and contains the seller’s certification that “THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROPERTY CONDITION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT IS TRUE AND COMPLETE TO THE SELLER’S ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE AS OF THE DATE SIGNED BY THE SELLER.” Where a seller provides a property condition disclosure statement and “willful[ly] fail[s] to perform the requirements” set forth in article 14 of the Real Property Law “[such] seller shall be liable for the actual damages suffered by the buyer in addition to any other existing equitable or statutory remedy” (Real Property Law § 465 [2]). * * *

… [W]e conclude that plaintiff raised an issue of fact with respect to whether defendants knowingly misrepresented a material fact, i.e., the property’s history of flooding and standing water, on the property condition disclosure statement … . We likewise conclude that plaintiff raised an issue of fact with respect to whether he justifiably relied on defendants’ alleged misrepresentations … . * * *

Although the provisions of a contract for the sale of real property are generally merged in the deed and therefore extinguished upon the closing of title …, that rule does not apply ” where the parties have expressed their intention that [a] provision shall survive delivery of the deed’ ” … . Here, the contract provides that “[a]ny claim arising from failure to comply with Paragraph[] 5 [of the contract],” which encompasses defendants’ representations in the property condition disclosure statement, “shall survive for 2 years after the Closing or cancellation of this Contract” … . In any event, we note that “the merger doctrine [is] inapplicable where, as here, there exists a cause of action based upon fraud” … . Sicignano v Dixey, 2015 NY Slip Op 00054, 4th Dept 1-2-15

 

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